talk to me about Game of Thrones

elemenoP · 08-26-2011, 10:17 AM

First off, I'm not much of a series reader. Does the first book have any closure at all? Would you get anything out of reading just the first book? Of course if I loved it, I would continue reading the series, but I would like to feel like I *finished* a book if you know what I mean.

Second, I plan to watch the HBO series, but will have to wait for the DVD (probably wait for the DVD to go on sale at Amazon). So it could be a long wait. But anyway, do you think it would be better to read first or watch it first?

Thanks!
eP

DiapDealer · 08-26-2011, 11:14 AM

If you're not much of a series reader... I wouldn't even start.
And no, you will get no sense of closure from reading just the first book.

Don't get me wrong... I love Martin's writing and some of his characters are the most memorable I've read, but I absolutely hate his choice of format (plus I think he's starting to "wing it").

But if you're going to read it, read it before watching the series, I say.

issybird · 08-26-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

but I absolutely hate his choice of format (plus I think he's starting to "wing it").

So much ditto to both of these points. His format is just sheer laziness and ineptitude, IMO. Instead of telling a coherent and cohesive story in a natural progression, he hops around for 800 pages to tie up only some of the strings at the end. Oy. And winging it, absolutely. The last two books were a disgrace. Of course I did read them, lol! But I did it in one fell swoop and I won't be around for the next one in umpty-ump years.

You should always read the book first!

HomeInMyShoes · 08-26-2011, 12:01 PM

Always read first.

I stopped after the third. They were good and I enjoyed them quite a bit, but I've read a lot of go nowhere fantasy and needed to go in a new direction.

Condillac · 08-26-2011, 02:03 PM

I watched the series first, then i got curious about the book. I was reading the 3rd vol, but I dropped. Its like Issybird said, he goes on and on untill the end of the book... on the last 100 pages everything that should have happened happens and the book ends.

About the tv show and the book: there is no significant differences between then. Some occasional changes just to make the series more fluide on tv, but no loss of sense. You won't get much more from the book. So if you want to know only the plot you can definitly watch the series only.

Ron. · 08-26-2011, 02:13 PM

there is no "closure" in the first book, I enjoyed the first book but buy the time I got to the third book I was thinking along the lines of "Ok, you're just dragging this out for the sake of selling another book now" I would say just watch the series, it is near identical to the book.

fantasyfan · 08-26-2011, 02:24 PM

I rather like the series. But it's a HUGE sprawling work which has two more books to go before it ends. If you're not a series reader to start with, you most certainly won't get closure of any sort from the first book and I wouldn't recommend even starting it.

Martin also has a technique which many readers find annoying. He takes a number of character viewpoints and scatters them through the work in place of chapters. I have actually found that it's a more coherent experience to follow a specific character's series of "chapters" rather than moving from one point of view to another in the order Martin uses.

Another annoyance for some is the overlap between and within books. At times chapters are only dealing with concurrent events. This was a problem I noticed in Jordan's works as well. One book might advance the total plot line by only a month or so because the Author was catching up on what was happening "back on the ranch".

What I like about the series is the characterization and methods by which some characters change and develop. He makes wonderful use of some typical fantasy machinery such as the dream vision, the strange psychic link between creatures and humans, undead monsters, dragons, impossible sounding curses and prophecies which are resolved, etc.

One problem I am worried about is whether Martin has too many irons in this particular fire and that the flame will die out before he gets to the end. I don't think it will, but we'll have to wait and see. In fairness, he has sold 18 million copies so far.

I agree with Issybird, always read the series first.

vxf · 08-26-2011, 02:35 PM

I am finishing the second book. So far, I am having fun - but the above comments are correct - there is lots of empty space then everything happens all of a sudden, at the end. And no closure, quite the contrary.

If you don't plan on reading the series, don't start.

DiapDealer · 08-26-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

But it's a HUGE sprawling work which has two more books to go before it ends.

No way he wraps it up in seven books. The book count will change again before all is said and done.

xg4bx · 08-26-2011, 03:56 PM

i read the first book years ago and despite owning the entire series, i'm not gonna read them. supposedly the last 2 books were terrible and i'd read rather 5 good books instead of 2000 pages of dreck.

McFessel · 08-26-2011, 04:07 PM

I've seen rave reviews of Game of Thrones since it came out in '96 ... but avoided reading it since I wanted to tackle the whole series from start to finish in one go. Obviously I've been waiting a while to start...

Well, then the HBO series came along. And I *really* wanted to watch it. So, after 15 years, I caved and read Game of Thrones. And (for me) it lived up to the hype and I immediately dove into the second book (still on it) as soon as I finished watching Season 1. That said, I'd read the book first and then watch the HBO series, as so many here have already said. I think it condenses some of the fluff in the book without sacrificing much content -- a very good adaptation.

The second season is in production now, so hopefully it won't be too long until the next installment. My question is: Will Martin focus more on the television series now it's a huge success instead of working on the last two books? I'd like to think that with the release of Book 5 his pace will pick up again, but who knows...

You will find no closure from reading Game of Thrones -- but, if you like epic fantasy, it is still a good read regardless.

Self-promotion deleted - MODERATOR

Condillac · 08-26-2011, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McFessel

but avoided reading it since I wanted to tackle the whole series from start to finish in one go. Obviously I've been waiting a while to start...

I think that is the problem with the book (or with me). If each book does not have a closure, when you start a new vol just right after finishing one, the rhythm shouldn't suffer a rupture; which unfortunately happens.
Maybe the interval between each volume would supress this uneasiness I felt. But if really there isn't a closure, should this be necessary?

=X= · 08-26-2011, 05:10 PM

Don't read it its a horrible series. The first book is really good, then it starts going down from there.

Book 1:5.0 stars
Book 2:3.5 starts
Book 3:2.5 starts
>>> I stopped here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

No way he wraps it up in seven books. The book count will change again before all is said and done.

Agreed I started reading it because somewhere I heard it was a trilogy after I finished the third book I knew it was no where near done. I wouldn't so much mind if I liked his latter books but they where really bad.

Not only is he winging it he's wringing more books get him more money. I had the same feeling with the WoT series and stopped at book 6.

afa · 08-26-2011, 05:32 PM

I'm very, very surprised by your evaluation, =X=. The first 3 books of the series are terrific, and the third is widely considered the best. Can I ask what was it about them you didn't like?

For me, I would say the first three would all get at least a 4 out of 5 stars. It's only the last two books that were disappointing. Although somewhat forgiveable, since they would probably be the equivalent of the 'middle part' of a trilogy.

And like all middle parts, it's got the difficult task of keeping the story interesting while still developing details to flesh out the plot.

In any case, I disagree with most of the opinions here. I would say A Song of Ice and Fire is a very good series. But considering how long Martin seems to take to write, it might be better to get a good idea about when he will actually wrap things up before delving into them.

DiapDealer · 08-26-2011, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by =X=

Agreed I started reading it because somewhere I heard it was a trilogy after I finished the third book I knew it was no where near done. I wouldn't so much mind if I liked his latter books but they where really bad

This is true. But it completely baffles me how someone could have a trilogy planned, and then sometime before book three ...

... "I'm sorry, I think I might need six books to tell the story now". Then while writing book four ...

... "I'm sorry, book four just got too large and I need to split it into two separate novels (but I promise that book five will be out very soon

)" Which brings the total to seven.

Milk... it does an author (and publisher) good.

I, myself, love endings. So much so, that I think every book should have at least one.

08-26-2011, 10:17 AM	#1
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	talk to me about Game of Thrones First off, I'm not much of a series reader. Does the first book have any closure at all? Would you get anything out of reading just the first book? Of course if I loved it, I would continue reading the series, but I would like to feel like I finished a book if you know what I mean. Second, I plan to watch the HBO series, but will have to wait for the DVD (probably wait for the DVD to go on sale at Amazon). So it could be a long wait. But anyway, do you think it would be better to read first or watch it first? Thanks! eP

08-26-2011, 02:24 PM	#7
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,376 Karma: 28116892 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, iPad 9th gen. IPhone 11	I rather like the series. But it's a HUGE sprawling work which has two more books to go before it ends. If you're not a series reader to start with, you most certainly won't get closure of any sort from the first book and I wouldn't recommend even starting it. Martin also has a technique which many readers find annoying. He takes a number of character viewpoints and scatters them through the work in place of chapters. I have actually found that it's a more coherent experience to follow a specific character's series of "chapters" rather than moving from one point of view to another in the order Martin uses. Another annoyance for some is the overlap between and within books. At times chapters are only dealing with concurrent events. This was a problem I noticed in Jordan's works as well. One book might advance the total plot line by only a month or so because the Author was catching up on what was happening "back on the ranch". What I like about the series is the characterization and methods by which some characters change and develop. He makes wonderful use of some typical fantasy machinery such as the dream vision, the strange psychic link between creatures and humans, undead monsters, dragons, impossible sounding curses and prophecies which are resolved, etc. One problem I am worried about is whether Martin has too many irons in this particular fire and that the flame will die out before he gets to the end. I don't think it will, but we'll have to wait and see. In fairness, he has sold 18 million copies so far. I agree with Issybird, always read the series first. Last edited by fantasyfan; 08-26-2011 at 02:32 PM.

08-26-2011, 04:07 PM	#11
McFessel Writer guy Posts: 15 Karma: 550000 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Rocehester, NY Device: K3	I've seen rave reviews of Game of Thrones since it came out in '96 ... but avoided reading it since I wanted to tackle the whole series from start to finish in one go. Obviously I've been waiting a while to start... Well, then the HBO series came along. And I really wanted to watch it. So, after 15 years, I caved and read Game of Thrones. And (for me) it lived up to the hype and I immediately dove into the second book (still on it) as soon as I finished watching Season 1. That said, I'd read the book first and then watch the HBO series, as so many here have already said. I think it condenses some of the fluff in the book without sacrificing much content -- a very good adaptation. The second season is in production now, so hopefully it won't be too long until the next installment. My question is: Will Martin focus more on the television series now it's a huge success instead of working on the last two books? I'd like to think that with the release of Book 5 his pace will pick up again, but who knows... You will find no closure from reading Game of Thrones -- but, if you like epic fantasy, it is still a good read regardless. Self-promotion deleted - MODERATOR Last edited by Dr. Drib; 12-12-2011 at 05:31 AM.

08-26-2011, 05:32 PM	#14
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	I'm very, very surprised by your evaluation, =X=. The first 3 books of the series are terrific, and the third is widely considered the best. Can I ask what was it about them you didn't like? For me, I would say the first three would all get at least a 4 out of 5 stars. It's only the last two books that were disappointing. Although somewhat forgiveable, since they would probably be the equivalent of the 'middle part' of a trilogy. And like all middle parts, it's got the difficult task of keeping the story interesting while still developing details to flesh out the plot. In any case, I disagree with most of the opinions here. I would say A Song of Ice and Fire is a very good series. But considering how long Martin seems to take to write, it might be better to get a good idea about when he will actually wrap things up before delving into them. Last edited by afa; 08-26-2011 at 05:34 PM.

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08-26-2011, 11:14 AM	#2
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,358 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	If you're not much of a series reader... I wouldn't even start. And no, you will get no sense of closure from reading just the first book. Don't get me wrong... I love Martin's writing and some of his characters are the most memorable I've read, but I absolutely hate his choice of format (plus I think he's starting to "wing it"). But if you're going to read it, read it before watching the series, I say.

08-26-2011, 12:01 PM	#4
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Always read first. I stopped after the third. They were good and I enjoyed them quite a bit, but I've read a lot of go nowhere fantasy and needed to go in a new direction.

08-26-2011, 02:03 PM	#5
Condillac Member Posts: 19 Karma: 21334 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Kindle 3	I watched the series first, then i got curious about the book. I was reading the 3rd vol, but I dropped. Its like Issybird said, he goes on and on untill the end of the book... on the last 100 pages everything that should have happened happens and the book ends. About the tv show and the book: there is no significant differences between then. Some occasional changes just to make the series more fluide on tv, but no loss of sense. You won't get much more from the book. So if you want to know only the plot you can definitly watch the series only.

08-26-2011, 02:13 PM	#6
Ron. Evangelist Posts: 448 Karma: 864744 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, LookBook, Nook Simple Touch	there is no "closure" in the first book, I enjoyed the first book but buy the time I got to the third book I was thinking along the lines of "Ok, you're just dragging this out for the sake of selling another book now" I would say just watch the series, it is near identical to the book.

08-26-2011, 02:35 PM	#8
vxf Guru Posts: 944 Karma: 1490348 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Norman, OK Device: Sony PRS 350, 900, 950; Kindles (ALL of them!); Kobo Aura One	I am finishing the second book. So far, I am having fun - but the above comments are correct - there is lots of empty space then everything happens all of a sudden, at the end. And no closure, quite the contrary. If you don't plan on reading the series, don't start.

08-26-2011, 03:56 PM	#10
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	i read the first book years ago and despite owning the entire series, i'm not gonna read them. supposedly the last 2 books were terrible and i'd read rather 5 good books instead of 2000 pages of dreck.

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